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One of the cosiest ways to signpost the changing season is with an autumn perfume. It physically (or olfactorily) creates a mood shift post-summer. Of course, there are perfumes that you can wear all year round, but as the days get darker and colder, and our nesting instincts kick in, I personally love a scent that can coddle me, like my favourite chunky knit.
As luck would have it, being a beauty editor, I've been able to sniff my way through dozens and dozens of autumn scents. But while there have been some beautiful contenders, none have stopped me in my tracks. That is, until last autumn when a new perfume drop coaxed me out of my fragrance-safe zone (skin scents, light, romantic florals, earthy citruses) and into a new chapter with a crazily addictive autumn scent.
On paper, Angels' Share by Kilian is not my type. An audacious glug of boozy vanilla, spicy cinnamon, sweet praline and creamy tonka with softly-smoked oak bringing up the base, it's an ode to cognac. It looks like it, too, with it's cut-glass decanter and caramel-coloured juice. The vibe is high-class confectionary with old-school glamour – there's a luxurious Gatsby charm about it, but it also has the warm, comforting feel of a bakery on a cold day.
To me, it smells like warmed up rum and raisin in the most sophisticated way. It hits all the notes I need it to as well – it's sweet, cosy, playful, seductive and self-assured, all at once.
It's also easily become my most-complimented perfume. The scent offers quiet(ish) luxury as it projects beautifully (it's detectable but not overbearing). I've sniffed it out on the Elizabeth line on my way to work and would have stopped the stranger opposite to ask the name, if I didn't already recognise it. Likewise, I've been chased down to spill the details multiple times.
Yes, you could wear it year-round if you wanted to, but to me, this scent belongs to autumn and winter. It has the comfort of that soft knit I talked about, with the versatility, too. Like a funnel neck works with a leather mini skirt, over jeans or layered on top of an elegant silk slip dress, Angels' Share has range, which is why I've been waiting patiently to pull her out again.
For more autumn perfumes worth having on your radar (including a new sister-scent to Angels' Share) keep scrolling…
The best unisex autumn scent
Jo Malone Hinoki & Cedarwood Cologne Intense
Jo Malone's latest fragrance is a breath of fresh air, quite literally. Inspired by the Japanese principal of forest bathing, it was concocted to reconnect us with nature. It's fresh and woody, like clean air whistling through woods on a hillside and to me, it has a slightly soapy feel to it, too. This is an softly exhilarating scent that brings stompy outdoorsiness to you in a single spritz. (Launching 3rd September).
The best retro autumn scent
If the scent below looks familiar, it's because it belongs to the same family as Angels' Share. Kilian's Liquors Collection pay tribute to his French Hennessy heritage in the alcohol industry. Old Fashioned (launching 1st September) is an homage to whiskey. But before you worry it will blow your head off, it won't. It's a refined, mellow rendition that conjures swilling a glass tumbler of scotch while reclining in a leather armchair. It reads relaxed and unisex – wheat captures the malt while davana essence picks up on the slightly floral note in whiskey. Cedarwood and styrax nod to the aged barrels for a demure and mindful way to wear whiskey.
The best autumn sandalwood scent
Tom Ford Santal Blush Eau de Parfum
This is a rich, confident woody scent, with a little mysteriousness thrown in. It opens enthusiastically, scattering spice as it goes, but it's softened from behind with creamy ylang ylang, jasmine and rose. As for the dry-down? It's all about warm, grounding sandalwood and cedar. It's a shower and a grower, since the complicated, comforting scent unravels as it goes. Plus, it counts Taylor Swift among its fanbase.
The best autumn skin scent
If a heavy autumn perfume is not your bag, Phlur's newly released Soft Spot offers up a delicate skin scent with autumn in its dna. Sheer florals (jasmine, freesia and waterlily) make up the top notes but the amber and sandalwood in the base make for a nuzzly but lightweight fragrance.
The best bohemian autumn scent
Cosmoss Sacred Mist Eau de Parfum
If autumn makes you think of walks through moss-carpeted woods and soil made damp from the early onset of rain, Cosmoss Sacred Mist might be the one for you. It has a mysterious shimmering mystical feel (as does autumn, the season that celebrates Samhain) and it was specifically designed to uplift auras. This one's for bohemian babes looking for a spiritual scent that calms and cleanses the soul. Notes include bergamot, tuberose, black pepper, oak moss and cedarwood.
The best oud autumn scent
Kayali Oudgasm Vanilla Oud 36 Eau de Parfum Intense
This scent will have you feeling cozy and warm in no-time. It doesn’t get anymore autumnal than this with its hearty wood and oud notes and the added touch of vanilla and praline. All you need is your favourite blanket and book.
The best woody autumn scent
Phlur Somebody Wood Eau de Parfum
Phlur's Somebody Wood has become something of a cult classic for autumn, offering up a soft sandalwood. It opens with a burst of citrus, balanced out with leathery saffron before cosy sandalwood, amber, vanilla and cedar join forces to provide a nuzzly, woody landing. It has a nostalgic, pencil-shaving feel about it. Not too heavy, but very wholesome.
The best amber autumn scent
Maison Francis Kurdjian Reflets d’ambre Eau de Parfum
If you're familiar with Maison Francis Kurkdjian scents (see also: Baccarat Rouge 540), you'll know that delicate airy eau de toilettes are not the aesthetic. Reflets d'ambre is another show-stopper centred around a confident (and rediscovered) amber note. Amber scents headlined the '80s when power perfumes like Guerlain Shalimar and YSL Opium ruled the fragrance charts but the old-money aesthetic has helped renew its appreciation among a whole new generation. It opens with a bold explosion of warm amber before mellowing into a spicy creamy cashmere blanket on skin. What could be more autumn?
The best earthy autumn scent
Le Labo Thé Noir 29 Eau de Parfum
If perfumes were clothes, this has the feel of a worn-in leather jacket: soft but strong. It manages to feel cosy, tough and edgy all at the same time. Majoring on a black tea note (created with bay leaf, fig and bergamot), it has a lush, earthy smoothness, but vetiver, tobacco and hay in the base bring a hazy, smoky grit that keeps things interesting.
For more from GLAMOUR's Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
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